Things to do on Great Keppel Island

Great Keppel Island is approximately 240 hectares in size (around 3,500 acres and 43 kilometres in circumference) – home to seventeen pristine white sandy beaches. The island interior is rich with native flora and fauna, all waiting for you to explore. Island bushwalking tracks disperse trekkers around the island to beaches or spectacular lookouts. These vary in duration and difficulty, from leisurely strolls to challenging hikes.

Private coves and pockets of fringing reef around Great Keppel Island are excellent for swimming, snorkelling and diving.

Great Keppel Island is a bird watchers paradise, with over 90 species of birds identified, living amongst many different habitats.

Dolphins are often seen close to the main beaches during winter months. Whale numbers are increasing each year by 10 to 11%, with more being seen in Keppel Bay waters each season from April to November, with the majority migrating north from June to August, and back towards the southern ocean from September to November.

With the annual population now of about 15,000 Humpback whales (there were 8,000 in 2006), after a summer of feeding on krill in Antarctic waters, Humpbacks migrate north to sub-tropical waters where they mate and give birth, with Humpback calves staying with their mothers for 11 to 12 months before becoming independent.